2012 NASCAR Cup Collection champion and RFK Racing co-owner Brad Keselowski will likely be again behind the wheel of the No. 6 Ford Mustang for the 2026 Daytona 500.
The 41-year-old suffered a damaged femur whereas on a Ski journey along with his household, a few week earlier than Christmas. He missed out on the Prepare dinner Out Conflict exhibition race at Bowman Grey Stadium, the place Corey LaJoie drove the No. 6 in his place.
Nonetheless, Keselowski is not going to miss any championship occasions, as he has formally been cleared to compete within the 68th operating of the Daytona 500 this weekend.
He underwent a profitable medical analysis and on-track take a look at at Charlotte Motor Speedway on February 9, passing each evaluations.
“Getting cleared was an enormous second for me. You set within the work, you belief the method, however till you hear that ultimate ‘sure,’ nothing is assured,” stated Keselowski in a launch from the workforce. “Understanding what Daytona means, and the way laborious it could have been to overlook it, made this second even larger. I’m grateful to the medical workforce and to NASCAR for being thorough, and I’m excited to get again within the automotive.”
Keselowski later added: “This course of was about self-discipline and persistence. There have been no shortcuts. I had a poster in my exercise space that stated, ‘Daytona. Earned not given,’ and that grew to become my mindset daily. The main focus was on getting stronger, enhancing mobility, and ensuring I used to be really able to race.”
Keselowski has by no means gained the Daytona 500, and this will likely be his seventeenth begin in ‘The Nice American Race’ that opens up each NASCAR Cup season. He additionally going through a winless streak that dates again to the 2024 season, regardless of a number of shut calls final yr. He even ended the 2025 season with a runner-up end within the Phoenix finale.
“The Daytona 500 is probably the most coveted race we’ve got. The historical past, the names on that trophy, it speaks for itself,” Keselowski continued. “I’ve gained at Daytona, however I haven’t gained the five hundred, and that’s at all times been one I need. After all the things it took to get again up to now, having one other likelihood at it means all the things.”
Keselowski will likely be a part of a four-car effort for RFK Racing at Daytona. The workforce additionally simply gained The Conflict with Ryan Preece and the No. 60 workforce.
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